Epic Adventure

Imagine, my biggest concern on a ski trip being “What haven’t I skied yet?” and never running out of answers. With more than 5,200 skiable acres and seven bowls, I could not only ski for days, but am pretty much guaranteed to never ski the same line twice.

By any definition, skiing and snowboarding are adventurous sports. Waking up on a cold morning, getting dressed in clothing to guard against the elements, and then venturing up the mountain only to slide back down.

It's a far cry from sitting on a beach sipping cocktails, but that's a good thing.

Fresh off the plane from my sea-level home in South Carolina—my first day on skis since Christmas—it was straight onto a snowcat with 10 other adventure-seekers into the snow-deluged bowls of Keystone. An exciting extravaganza of untouched powder lay ahead of us.

Every skier has memorable days on the mountain. Special days that are too few and far in-between. The kind of ski days that you share with strangers on chairlift rides and remember for years to come. Today is one of those days.

A day like today is the reason skiers face the cold days, carry around our obnoxiously heavy equipment and push ourselves hard. We seek out days like today when our personal best aligns with the best conditions on the mountain.

While Kirkwood is the smallest of the Tahoe resorts in the Vail Resorts family, it packs one of the biggest punches.

With elevations from 7,800 to 9,800 feet, a vertical drop of 2,000 feet, and a 2-mile ridgeline—this is where you come to elevate your heart rate along with your soul. Adventure is literally at every turn.

Spend your days skiing in an endless sea of powdery terrain. Wind your way through village streets, venture into local eateries and stumble upon unique boutiques. Or simply rediscover the forgotten thrill of ice skating under the stars. The mountains are chock-full of bucket list opportunities.